Trouser stretchers



March 28, 1961 M. WAGNER TROUSER STRETCHERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 10, 1958 BY p 4 mzkzv Mamh 1961 M. WAGNER 77,031

TROUSER STRETCHERS Filed Nov. 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

mglzv WAGNER and Ham United States Patent 2,917,031 TROUSER srnn'rcrmns Martin Wagner, Prambach, near Pfaifenhofen, Germany Filed Nov. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 772,973 7 Claims priority, application Germany Novizfa, 1957 8 Claims. -(Cl.223--95) This invention relates generally to a trouser stretcher,

and has for its principal object to provide ai trous er; stretcher possessing a very simple form and being readily capable of manipulation, and which enablestrouser legs, skirts and the like to be engaged and suspended in secure fashion without harm to the material thereof.

' Some existing stretchers comprise tubular members or circular rods, which are shiftable telescopically in relation to one another against the action of springs. These stretchers are comparatively heavy, and the cost of pro-. duction thereof is high owing to the numerous operations required in the making of their various individual parts, including the provision of slots, grooves, openings and the like. Other. known stretchers' comprise relatively shiftable or pivotally extending rods, levers or the like,- and these are also too complicated, not sutficiently strong and at the same time too heavy. Further, the last mentioned stretchers are not suitable for large-scale manufacture, so that the advantages of mass production in cutting down the cost of manufacture to a level which is acceptable for household articles of this character cannot be realized. f a r In particular, the existingtrouser ,stretchers have employed means which. are unduly complicated tofachieve free rotation ofthe suspension hook and the automatic centering thereof in all extended positions of the stretcher. A further appreciable disadvantageof the known stretchers is their small, or at least considerably restricted, range of movement. t

In accordance with an aspectaof the invention, a trouser stretcher generally includes, non-circular supporting members which are shiftable longitudinally in relation to one another against the action of compression springs,

and the outer ends of which'carry forked portions directed,

approximately at right angles downwards, and a suspension hook which automatically ,remains in the middle position and is rotatably mounted a middle piece act ing as a connection between, and, a guide for the supporting members.

A previously proposed trouser stretcher included sup-- porting members flattened at the free ends, and there furnished with openings and bent at right angles, with the supporting members being guided with respect to eachother by these end portions and being mutually engaged over a part of the length of the supporting members- Due to such mutual engagement, the smallest size of this stretcher is equal to approximately the length of a supporting member, and the maximum size is equal to ap proximately one and a half times this length, which for. the purpose of really universal use represents too small a range of size adjustment. In the production of this proposed trouser stretcher, numerous operations are necessary, whereby high costs are involved which reduce the competitive value. Further, a massive hook block of particular form employed to guide the supports and formed with various passages therein also constitutes a comparatively expensive article. v

"*Thinvention-overcomes the above disadvantages by P s 1 Cg 2,977,031

guiding the supporting members side by side in the middle piece independently of one another and at a very slight distance apart over a distance along the supporting members amounting to a multiple of their transverse dimension,'while a compression spring surrounds the portion of each supporting member extending between the middle piece and the forked end portion and bears, at its opposite ends, against the middle piece andagaiust a bearing provided either directly on the supporting member, or on the forked. end portion thereof.

The extensibility of this stretcher ranges from somewhat less than twice the length to approximately onethird of the length of the supporting member. possible to employ the stretcher not only for mens trousershaving a substantial width at the bottom of the 7 leg but also for ladies slacks, which are very narrow at the extremity of the leg. vThis makes possible the universal use of the stretcher which has not been even approximately achieved heretofore and which is obtained with an extremely simple but nevertheless sturdy construction of the stretcher, while providing utmost simplicity in production and ready manipulation and faultless operation in use.

In the above described embodiment of the invention,-

the spacing between the legs of the forked members, measured along the stretcher is equal for each relative position of the supporting members or rods. However, if the trouser legs are not equalin width, the danger arises that the somewhat wider leg will be held less tight-' ly and secured than the other. 7

According to a further aspect of the invention, the above drawback is overcome by mounting at least one of the forked members on the outer end of the related supporting member in such a way as to, permit the forked member to turn to a limited extent about its vertical axis with respect to the supporting member, so that the distances between the legs of the opposed forked members are automatically accommodated to the different width of thetrouser legs.

In order that the inventionmay be more clearly understood some embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an elevational view of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of .a forked member included in the stretcher of Fig. l;

v Fig. 3 is a partly diagrammatical top plan view of the middle portion of the stretcher of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 isa cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through the middle of the stretcher of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 shows the forked end in a preferred embodiment 10f the invention;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the stretcher in the to its'smallest size;

Fig. 7 is an elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of aforked member according to a further embodiment of the'invention; p

Fig. 8, is a diagrammatic plan view, partly in section, of the forked member according to Fig. ,7, but in the oblique position thereof; and

Fig. 9 is a front view of the bracket employed in the forked member according to Figs. 7 and 8.

. Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, it will be seen that the stretcher there illustrated includes two supporting members or rods 1, which are shown fully extended in Fig. l,and carry forked members 2at their outer ends. A hook "3 is mounted'rotatably in a middle piece 4 and has a head 5 at its lower end bearing upwardly against themiddle piece 4 and downwardly against the adjacently disposed embodiment' according to Fig. 5, but shown contracted Patented Mar. 28,1961.

It is thus parts of rods 1, which are situated in close proximity to one another, as is shown in Fig. 4.

The rods 1 are longitudinally guided with slight clearance in punched holes 6. (Fig. 4) in right-angularly bent ends or lugs" 4a of the middle piece 4, these op'enings being" non-circular and corresponding to" the cross sec ti'on'al form of' the rods, so that the rods 1 are secured against rotation in a simple fashion. The middle piece" simple manner. As seen inFig'. 2, each forked member 2 includes a pair of laterally spaced apart legs 20: which may have serrations 12" along their outer edges and which depend from laterally bent parts 2b extending from the bottom of a suitably bent closed portion 20 embracing rod 1.

Compression springs 9' are fitted over the rods 1 and thrust, at one end, against the middle piece 4 and, at the other end, against either the related forked member 2, as in Figs. 5 and 6, or, if desired, against pinched portions 7 of the rods. In the latter case, shown in Fig. 1, stamped collars may be interposed between the springs 9 and the pinched portions 7. The ends of the rods 1 remote from the forked members 2 are also provided with pinched portions 8 to prevent the withdrawal of the rods from middle piece 4 by the action of the springs 9.

The attached forked members 2 may be immersed in liquid synthetic substance to acquire a coating 11, for example, of a thickness of approximately 0.5 to 1 mm., as indicated in dash-dotted lines on the left of Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2, which coating, following solidification thereof, is of resilient nature to avoid damage to the garment despite its secure retention by the serrations 12.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show a further embodiment of the invention, in which at least one forked member 2' is secured in such a way as to be rotatable to a limited ex tent with respect to the related supporting member or rod 1. Of course, if desired, both of the forked members 2 of either Fig. l or Fig. 6 can be replaced by the forked members 2'.

The forked member 2' is formed in two parts, namely, an inverted U-shaped part having a horizontal, transverse portion 13 connecting the upper ends of the two parallel legs 2a, and a bracket 15. The transverse portion 13 has a generally triangular opening 14 therein (Fig. 8), while the bracket 15 engages firmly about the related rod 1 and has downwardly directed arms 1511 which are welded, riveted or otherwise secured together. As is apparent inFig. 9, the lower ends of the arms 15a are reduced in width so as to extend through opening 14 and to define downwardly facing shoulders 16 which are engageable with the top surface of transverse portion 13 at the edge of opening 14 thereby to prevent upward movement of transverse portion 13 relative to bracket 15'. The lower ends of arms 15a are bent outwardly, in opposite directions, below transverse portion 13, as at 17, thereby to retain the inverted U-shaped portion of forked member 2 on the bracket 15 while permitting angular displacement of the former with respect to the latter to a limited extent.

The forked member 2' may also be provided with a coating 11' of a resilient synthetic substance, and this coating may cover all of the rotatable connection between bracket 15 and transverse portion 13 without aifecting the operation of that connection. The coating 11 not only enhances the appearance of the stretcher and prevents damage to the garment held thereby, but also aifords' an excellent protection of the metallic parts against corrosion and the like.

The trouser stretchers embodying the present invention are employed in the following manner:

The forked members 2 at the outer ends of rods 1 are urged towards each other until the legs 2a of such forked members can be received in the'openendsofthelegs of a pair of inverted trousers. The springs 9 then urge the forked members 2 in the directions away from each other so that each trouser leg is stretched between the legs 2a of the opposite forked members.

If the above described'embodiment of Figs. 7, 8 and 9 is employed, and the trouser legs are of unequal width, then the forked member- 2 substituted for one of the forked members 2 of Figs. 1 or 6, will'have its inverted U-shaped portion angularly displaced with respect to the bracket 15. thereby todecrease the distance across the stretcher between one of the legs Za andthe related leg 2a of the remaining forked member'2, while the distance across the stretcher between the other leg Za and the related leg 2a will be correspondingly increased for accommodating the trouser legs of relatively small and relatively great width, respectively. Thus, even though the trouser legs are of unequal width, the forked member 2 will ensure that such trouser legs are both securely held.

It will be apparent that the size of the trouser stretchers embodying the present invention may be varied between the maximum size, as illustrated in Fig. 1, where the pinched or enlarged ends 8 of the rods 1 engage against the middle piece 4, and the minimum size, as illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein the spacing between the two forked members 2 is determined only by the lengths of the springs 9 when the latter are fully compressed. It should be noted, in this connection, that the rods 1 are sufliciently spaced apart in the lateral direction in order to permit the inner end of the each rod, that is, the end of the rod having the pinched or enlarged portion 8, to move past the forked member 2 on the other supporting member or rod 1. Thus, the minimum size of the stretcher, that is, the minimum distance between the forked members 2, can be substantially less than the length of each of the rods 1, as is apparent in Fig. 6, while the maximum size of the trouser stretcher embodying the invention is only slightly less than twice the length of each of the rods 1. Considering this relatively large range of adjustment of the trouser stretchers embodying the invention, it will be seen that the compression springs 9 have the advantage of avoiding the permanent deformation that would result upon overstretching of tension springs. Further, the use of two compression springs, in place of a single more powerful spring, as used in known trouser stretchers, makes it possible to use compression springs which are relatively long and which exert a spring force that is not excessive, even when the forked members 2 are disposed relatively close together, as when supporting trouser legs of relatively narrow width. Thus, even such trouser legs having a narrow width can be supported without the danger that the trouser legs will be widened by the exertion of an excessive force by the trouser stretcher.

It will also be apparent from the above description of illustrative embodiments of the invention, that the latter provides trouser stretchers which can be Produced with a very few, extremely simple operations capable of being performed mechanically with the utmost speed, and with extreme accuracy, uniformity and convenience. The amount of material required for the trouser stretchers embodying the invention is small, and is of the kind that is readily available.

Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to. those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: I

1. A trouser stretcher comprising two elongated supporting members of non-circular cross-section each having a forked member at one end thereof directed downwardly approximately at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the related supporting member, a middle piece having aligned spaced apart openings for said supporting members, said supporting members extending slidably through said openings of the middle piece in parallel, laterally spaced apart relation to each other so as to be independently guided by said middle piece, said supporting members having said one ends thereof extending in opposed directions, said middle piece having a length measured in the direction of said longitudinal axis of each supporting member which is a multiple of the lateral dimension of the supporting member, means on each supporting member adjacent said one end thereof defining a spring bearing, a helical compression spring extending around each supporting member between said middle piece and said means defining a spring bearing to urge the related supporting member in the direction moving said one end of the latter away from said middle piece, a suspension hook extending from said middle piece, and means defining an abutment at the other end of each of said supporting members which is larger than said openings of the middle piece to prevent withdrawal of the supporting members from said middle piece.

2. A trouser stretched as in claim 1; wherein said middle piece is of flat material in the form of a yoke having a central portion and lugs depending from the ends of said central portion and each lug having two of said openings therein with the latter being of the same noncircular configuration as said cross-section of the supporting members to slidably receive the latter while preventing rotation of said supporting members relative to said middle piece.

3. A trouser stretcher as in claim 2; wherein said central portion has an aperture at the center thereof, and said suspension hook has a shaft rotatably received in said aperture and formed with a head at its lower end disposed between said central portion of the middle piece and the parts of said supporting members between said lugs so that said head cooperates with said central portion of the middle piece and with said parts of the supporting members to prevent displacement of the suspension hook relative to said middle piece in the direction of the axis of said shaft while permitting turning of the hook about said axis of the shaft.

4. A trouser stretcher as in claim 1; wherein at least one of said forked members includes a bracket secured on said one end of the related supporting member, an inverted, U-shaped part having a transverse portion and parallel legs depending from the opposite ends of said transverse portion, and cooperating means on said bracket and transverse portion forming an articulated connection between said bracket and inverted, U-shaped part to permit turning of the latter about a substantially vertical axis midway between said parallel legs for accommodating trouser legs having ditferent widths.

5. A trouser stretcher as in claim 4; wherein said cooperating means forming an articulated connection includes downwardly directed arms on said bracket which are bent laterally, in opposite directions, at their free ends, and said transverse portion of the inverted, U-shaped part has a central opening of generally triangular configuration through which said downwardly directed arms extend with said laterally bent free ends of the aims engaging under said transverse portion to suspend said inverted U-shaped part from said bracket while the turn ing of said inverted U-shaped part is limited by the eugagement of said arms with the side edges of said triangular opening.

6. A trouser stretcher as in claim 5; wherein said downwardly directed arms of the bracket have notches in the vertical edges thereof defining downwardly facing shoulders above said transverse portion of the inverted U-shaped part to limit the upward movement of the latter with respect to said bracket.

7. A trouser stretcher as in claim I; wherein said means defining a spring bearing adjacent said one end of each supporting member is constituted by a shoulder formed on said forked member of the related supporting member.

8. A trouser stretcher as in claim 1; wherein said means defining a spring bearing adjacent said one end of each supporting member is constituted by an enlargement on the supporting member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,829,811 Baschnonga Apr. 8, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 526,838 Belgium Mar. 15, 1954 

